It was like a scene out of a movie, as Kevin Costner welcomed the Chicago White Sox and NY Yankees who entered the field to play in the MLB at Field of Dreams through the same Iowa cornfield that was featured in the blockbuster movie.
Major League Baseball hosted the game, featuring the Yankees playing the Chicago White Sox, in a stadium in Dyersville, Iowa, that is next to the cornfield-turn-ballfield that was the focus of the 1989 movie, Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner.
The National Corn Growers Association is a sponsor of the event. The New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association decided to amplify the spirit of the game by inviting firefighters from the Big Apple to join in the fun.
“This game is designed to honor farmers and baseball,” said New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association Executive Director Colleen Klein. “Because of the collaborative work our organization did with the FDNY providing meals to first responders in New York City last spring, we wanted to invite them to celebrate with us as well. Inviting city firefighters was in keeping with the theme of rural and urban people coming together on one field.”
Farmers and firefighters mingled over food and drinks as they watched the game, which was broadcast nationally on Fox. The firefighters said the event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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“This is an event that we will remember for years to come,” said Lt. William Fitch, with the New York City Fire Department. “It was so much fun to learn about the work of New York corn and soybean farmers and then join them to cheer on the Yankees.”
The firefighters also toured a corn and soybean farm prior to the game, where local farmers demonstrated the equipment they use to plant and harvest corn and soybeans and talked about the many uses of the crops.
“New York is an incredibly diverse state,” Klein said. “There are so many people – from farmers to firefighters to baseball players – who keep this state going and interesting. But no matter where you’re from in the state, you’re going to root for the Yankees.”
Major League Baseball constructed the new 8,000 seat ballpark 500 feet from the field featured in the movie. The game was initially planned to occur in the summer of 2020 but was delayed because of COVID-19.
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